The Centers for Disease Control says autism is a disorder that nationwide affects one in 150 children, and specifically one in 100 boys. It affects neurological functions resulting in impaired communication and socialization development in children.
According to the Autism Society of America, prevalence of this disorder is growing at alarming rates — between 10 and 17 percent each year. While many causes are suspected, such as genetics or medical problems, no single answer has been found. What is known, according to a study done by the London School of Economics, is that early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the cost of long-term care by two-thirds.
Unfortunately for parents in New York state, getting that care for those autistic children who need residential care is problematic. There aren’t enough beds across the state to handle the children. As Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, noted, “With hundreds or even thousands of children with autism being forced to leave New York state for the services they need at great expense to the state and their families, we simply can’t continue to ignore this fragile population.”
Often, families travel to New Jersey — a state with one of the highest rates in the country — because it has invested in research and services.
In the wake of the death of autistic 13-year-old Jonathan Carey under the care of an Albany facility recently, Libous says he’s introducing legislation to create a subdivision within the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities that would deal exclusively with autism. And there is good reason for doing so. According to the research/advocacy group Fighting Autism, cases in the state jumped from fewer than 2,000 in 1992 to 9,500 in 2003. It’s especially a problem on Long Island where one in 85 children will develop the disorder.
Libous notes another problem.
“Children like Jonathan Carey shouldn’t be forced to live with adults in residential facilities, and they shouldn’t be exposed to employees who apparently lack fundamental training in the differences between autism and other disabilities.”
At a previous facility in Dutchess County, his parents discovered him bruised, underfed and soaked in his own urine. How many more Jonathans are getting similar lack of care across the state?
Obviously, this is a growing concern across the country. And though you might not have autistic children, we all pay when they are forced to cross the border for appropriate residential care. Isn’t it wiser to invest in better early diagnosis and care here in New York, so that the lives of our autistic children will be improved?
It’s time to reform the way the state handles treatment for this disorder.
— The Press and Sun-Bulletin of Binghamton
Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: State’s treatment of autism needs drastic overhaul
- Editorials
-
- Give chicken plan free range
-
Scale back Canal Fest hours
A decision Tuesday by the Tonawanda Common Council to require daily Canal Fest operations on the south side of the canal to conclude by 10 p.m., rather than 11, apparently isn’t sitting well with Canal Fest organizers, who have yet to agree to the change.
-
OUR VIEW: Kudos to Slaughter on STOCK Act
Rep. Louise Slaughter and a small band of colleagues in the House of Representatives deserve praise for their determination in putting a stop to a long-standing dirty secret in politics — that members of Congress have been making a boatload of cash by parlaying their official knowledge of the nation’s affairs into private fortunes on the stock market.
-
OUR VIEW: Time to fundamentally rethink education
In the three school districts primarily composing the Tonawandas we are seeing, in varying degrees, the beginning of the end of education here as we know it.
-
OUR VIEW: Super job by Bills on signing Williams
More than the Xs and Os of a football playbook, the Mario Williams signing is a generation-in-the-waiting signal that this franchise is finally on the right track.
-
OUR VIEW: WNY must build on success at ECC
In reading Sunday’s cover story by reporter Jill Keppeler, readers probably shared our shock in the success story that is the Erie Community College industrial technology program.
-
OUR VIEW: ‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
The U.S. Postal Service has been mailing it in for years.
-
KEPPELER: Daydream believer
I felt sorry for Whitney Houston. But this week, the world lost two people whose departure makes me truly nostalgic.
-
OUR VIEW: Slisz v. Beyer exposes flaws in election system
Though voters in the city who have waited for nearly four months to find out who won might find this welcome news, the problems with our election system this razor-thin race uncovered are anything but comforting.
-
OUR VIEW: Officials need to take walk
The tumult and excitement over approving Nik Wallenda’s request to walk across the Niagara Gorge has at times been deafening.
- More Editorials Headlines
Raw Video: Deadly Bombing at Yemen Parade Preps
Professor: Chinese Activist's 'Spirit Is Good'
Ring of Fire Eclipse Seen in U.S., Asia
Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates 75 Years
G-8 Seeks Unity on Euro-debt Crisis, Iran
Prosecutors: Trio Planned to Attack Obama's HQ
Obama: G8 Unified in Stance on Iran, Syria
